Missing in Venice
by TobiasEatonRules
Summary: Rated T for Chapter 3. A 60 ft ocean liner is being pulled into a canal by a strange invisible force. Then suddenly, it disappears. It takes extremely advanced technology to pull this off, and Detective Tris Prior is determined to catch the culprit.
1. Chapter 1

Missing in Venice

Detective Beatrice 'Tris' Prior walks out of a restaurant after having lunch with her colleague, Lieutenant Tobias 'Four' Eaton. She bids him farewell and walks to the edge of the canal to catch a gondola back to the VDA or Venice Detective Agency. Once she arrives there, however, she is met with an extraordinary sight. A 60-foot long ocean liner that appears to be trying to back out of the canal. But even with her mighty engines in reverse, the ocean liner is pulled further and further into the canal, toppling buildings and destroying unoccupied gondolas in the process. It looks as though some transparent force is dragging the ocean liner thorough the canal, despite its struggles. Then, all of the sudden, it vanishes into thin air.

Everyone around Tris was looking around, searching for a boat that is nowhere to be found. Tris was just staring ahead, shocked. _Anything that can drag a 60-foot ocean liner through a canal that was too small for it and then suddenly make it vanish is a force to be reckoned with. And it couldn't be natural or human, I need to investigate._ Tris thinks to herself. _And I know just where to start the investigation, the docks._

-la de da, I'm just a little time skip-

"So, Mr. Courtney, what was on that ship? And why was that ocean liner anywhere near Venice in the first place?" Tris asks the man in charge of everything going in and out of Venice through the docks. He knows what time a ship is scheduled to arrive, whether or not it will be late, what's on it, its name, and when it's supposed to leave the docks.

"This particular ocean liner, the S.S. Vision, was supposed to arrive at the docks at 1:00 in the afternoon. Its cargo was silver, gold, coal, copper, and ivory, all of which is very valuable. Though I can't tell you how it disappeared, I suggest you use infrared or ultraviolet cameras to see if you can't find the source of this mechanical anomaly." He replies.

"Thanks Jai, you've been a real help. I'd better get back to the office so I can relay this information to them, not to mention the situation that required this info in the first place." Tris tells him. She runs to the nearest canal to catch a gondola to the office. _I have a lot to talk about._ She thinks as the gondola races toward the VDA.

-know the power of the time skip-

Tris arrives at the VDA and walks inside to find Private Paige Hoover in deep conversation with Director Autumn Hardin and Agent Audrey Thacker. She watches them for a moment before they realize that she was back at the office.

"Tris! Thank God you're back! We've been getting calls nonstop about a vanishing 60-foot ocean liner. Our reception department is calling for a pay raise because they say they're being overworked." Autumn tells her.

"And half the callers swear they saw you at the scene of the crime." Paige adds.

"So what happened?" Audrey asks.

Tris tells them the entire story of what she witnessed including her visit to the docks and her lunch with Tobias. When she finishes her tale, Paige opens her mouth to speak when she is interrupted by Christina, "Tris and Four had lunch together? O.M.G. You need to tell me all about it Tris!" she squeals. _Leave it to Christina to have her priorities straight._ Tris thinks to herself, smiling.

"Tris, what are we supposed to do?" Paige asks looking slightly annoyed at being interrupted.

"Paige, I want you to find Private Carns, Lieutenant Riley, and Agent Chase and meet me at my office. Autumn, you get, Sargent Guyer and Lieutenant Ruffra, go grab our files on the people who have access to the technology to pull this off and meet me in my office. Audrey, you go find Agent Krank, Private Nihaus, Nicholas, and Lieutenant Preston and meet the rest of us in my office. Any questions, comments, or complaints?" Tris tells them. Though Paige is smiling, Autumn staring at Audrey, and Audrey looking as though she just tasted something sour, no one replies.

"Excellent. I'll see you all in my office. We have much to investigate."


	2. Chapter 2

Tris walks into her office to find Tobias sitting in the chair beside her desk, doing something on his phone. She walks over to him and says, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at your mother's helping with groceries and whatnot?"

"Well, my mother got wind of what happened and sent me back here to help out. Why, got something to say?" he replies with a smirk.

Tris glares at him, but says nothing. She just looks into those handsome ocean blue eyes and- _Tris, stop._ She tells herself. _You're here to work on a case, not hit on your co-workers!_

Right at that moment, Paige walks in followed by Private Payton Carns, Lieutenant Sara Riley, and Agent Kaya Chase. They all stand in the doorway, staring. Paige and Payton looking slightly uncomfortable, Kaya and Sara looking simply stunned, and Tris realizing that she'd been staring at Tobias with a sort of dreamy expression on her face. Tris blushes lightly and looks away. Paige and Payton find seats across from Sara and Kaya. They start a discussion on the case at hand while Kaya and Sara start up that old argument about whether or not rhinos are purple.

Tobias start messing around with his phone again while Tris decides to call her brother, Eric Coulter Commissioner of the VPD, and ask him to help a bit with this case. She dials his number and waits a moment for him to pick up the phone.

"Yes?" Eric asks, sounding slightly worn.

"Hey Eric. It's Tris." She replies.

"Tris! What's up?" He says, as if her calling made his day, which it very well might have.

"Well, I could really use your help on a case." She tells him.

"What is it? Is it serious? Have there been any casualties? Are you okay?" He asks, his excitement having turned into anxiety.

"I'm fine, there haven't been any casualties, and what do you think?" she replies, impatiently.

"That bad huh?"

"You have no idea."

"Want to bet on that?"

"Whatever, would you please send some people to patrol the canals? Look for more vanishing vessels?"

"You got it."

"Thanks Eric, you've been a big help."

"No problem, Tris."

Tris notices Autumn, Sargent Lizzi Guyer, and Lieutenant Anna Ruffra walk in. "I need to go Eric. I love you."

"Love you to sis. Good- bye." He says and hangs up.

Tris looks at Tobias and sees something flash in his eyes. Is it, Jealousy?

Autumn taps Tris' shoulder and hands her the files. Tris thanks her and finds a seat next to Paige and Payton and joins their conversation, which is still focused on the case at hand while Autumn, Anna, and Lizzi find seats nearby and start talking about bananas of all things. No one suspects that anyone is in danger, no one suspects that they are all about to become thirsty, for revenge.

-I'm a little time skip, short and stout…-

Audrey bursts through the door with Nick, Private Audrey Nihaus, and Lieutenant Caroline Preston at her heels. They all stop in the middle of the room panting and clutching their chests while everyone who was already in the room stares at them. After a few minutes of panting and staring in silence, Tris asks the question on everyone's mind, "What happened?"

It's Caroline who responds, her voice comprised of both rage and grief such as no one in the room has ever heard before. "It's Rylan, he's been murdered!"


End file.
